Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 256 Anda, one word: Dead! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump..."

The war drums continued their forward march, and although the soldiers of the Heroic Battalion were somewhat shaken, they continued to advance in an orderly manner.

None of them were unaware of who the messenger the Tatar messenger was.

It was Yan Maoqing's beloved nephew, Yan Shifan. Everyone had witnessed the bond between the two over the past few days.

Therefore, upon hearing this shameless threat from the Tatar messenger, they all felt distressed for Yan Maoqing and Yan Shifan.

What a selfless and impartial Minister Yan!
He treated his eldest nephew the same way, even more harshly, entrusting him with the most dangerous tasks without prior consultation, rather than putting the soldiers of the Heroes' Camp in danger.

What a brave and fearless envoy Yan was!

Knowing full well the danger involved, he did not hesitate in the slightest. He led only a servant and bravely stormed the Tatar royal court, engaging in a verbal battle with the Tatar Khan and his leader.

At this moment.

Only four words came to mind for the soldiers of the Heroic Battalion.

—A family of loyal martyrs!
That so-called Anda Khan, compared to our Minister Yan, is simply a shameless scoundrel, as foul as dung!
Despicable Tatars!

Anda's so-called "psychological warfare" not only failed to achieve any results, but also further consolidated Yan Maoqing's prestige in the Heroes' Camp, making every soldier in the Heroes' Camp admire him to the point of prostration, and some even had red eyes...

At this moment, it was only because Anda was unaware of the relationship between Yan Maoqing and Yan Shifan, and even less aware of the psychological reaction of the soldiers of the Heroes' Camp after hearing his "psychological warfare" that it had such a counterproductive effect.

Otherwise, he would probably vomit dozens of ounces of blood immediately, and the wound in his right eye would bleed again.

What he didn't expect was...

Upon hearing his threat, Yan Maoqing was not troubled at all; in fact, he was already considering another issue:
"Hiss—could this be a trick by Anda, deliberately revealing his position to trick me into continuously firing the breech-loading cannons at the main camp's city walls, wasting my precious firepower?"

In any case, if it were him, he would very likely use such a trick.

After all, if you know you are already within the range of enemy artillery fire, shouldn't a normal person run away as quickly as possible? Do artillery shells have eyes?

Now, for Yan Maoqing, the only problem is...

After the initial breech-loading cannon fire at the cavalry, the Heroes' Battalion continued to advance.

The less mobile breech-loading cannons had already followed the formation and were no longer suitable for direct fire; otherwise, they would have had to stop and change formation...

Yan Maoqing's most perfect target this time was actually
—The cuckoo has taken over the magpie's nest!
He planned to advance in this manner, continuing to march in formation towards the royal camp.

This would not only potentially wipe out the high command of Anda's forces, but also allow the Heroic Battalion to rely on the Royal Court's camp, making the Tatar cavalry even more helpless.

After all, even a simple wooden city wall and barricades were obstacles that cavalry could not overcome, and were better than their own even simpler flatbed wagons.

Such a heroic battalion can undoubtedly defend more securely and suffer fewer casualties.

Even the Tatars' usual tactic of using crows to harass the enemy was no longer effective, while the self-propelled muskets of the Heroes' Battalion were more efficient!

Now, he has seen that the Tatar cavalry have changed their mind about defeating the heroes head-on. They have sent out a small number of cavalry to drive away the heroes' cavalry while spreading out to encircle and harass them. This is the strategy of harassing the enemy from all sides in the "Crow Soldiers Scattering Stars" tactic.

Therefore, he would never stop easily, and would not allow the Heroes' Camp to fall into a passive situation of being surrounded by enemies.

The breech-loading cannon could only maintain upward firing, and at such a distance, the target of upward firing could only be the royal camp.

and so……

Yan Maoqing pondered for a moment, then finally unleashed his trumpet:

"Go back and tell your Anda Khan that if he was trying to deceive my firepower, then congratulations, he succeeded!"

"If he tried to use the messenger's life to make me hesitate, then congratulations to him, he has succeeded!"

"Please tell him for me that the messenger is my nephew, my brother and kin. I will not fire any more shots from now on."

"Please make sure he guarantees my nephew's safety. If so, there might still be room for reconciliation. Otherwise, I won't be able to face my aunt and uncle when I get back!"

"As for laying down arms and surrendering, it's not entirely out of the question, but only after he demonstrates the strength that will convince me."

"I'm a coward who fears death. If I can't beat him, I'll surrender naturally. There's no need for him to send someone to persuade me!"

"..."

Upon hearing Yan Maoqing's statement, the soldiers of the Heroic Battalion were filled with indescribable emotions and were momentarily at a loss for words.

It feels a bit silly.

If he hadn't said it outright, Anda probably wouldn't have known that Yan Shifan was his nephew. Otherwise, the Tatar messenger wouldn't have referred to Yan Shifan as an envoy; wouldn't it have been better to just call him nephew?

Now that Anda knows about this family relationship, won't he make the most of this hostage?
Now that Anda can threaten the Heroes' Battalion against using the breech-loading cannons to bombard the city walls, he can put a knife to Yan Shifan's neck and force the Heroes' Battalion to lay down their weapons and surrender immediately.

I feel a little scared.

Surrendering when you can't win is indeed a last resort, but it's also a way to survive.

But as a general, isn't it a bit beneath him to say such things in public?
The main problem is that the contrast is just too great.

A person who dares to launch a surprise attack on the Tatar royal court with only two thousand soldiers is not only incredibly audacious, but also has the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard. He must say something inspiring about being willing to die rather than surrender.

Why are they already preparing for their own retreat when they still have the upper hand in the current battle?

Yan Butang, you're not ashamed, but we are!

Do you dare show the same courage you had when you decided to launch a surprise attack on the Tatar royal court? Otherwise, the Tatars at the next table might think that our Heroic Battalion are all cowardly, bullying the weak and fearing the strong...

Especially now that the soldiers of the Heroic Battalion have truly seen blood.

Moreover, the Tatar cavalrymen who were killed were at the time when they were full of vigor, enthusiasm, and self-confidence, having repeatedly invaded the Ming Dynasty.

Hearing such discouraging words always feels a little awkward...

But then Yan Maoqing put down the trumpet and summoned the messenger:
"Go and secretly tell the 100th commander of the breech-loading cannon battalion to load the ammunition first, but not to fire it yet. After receiving the order, wait for 100 breaths, and then fire all six breech-loading cannons at once. The target is still that gate tower."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the messenger initially looked puzzled, but after a moment's thought, he finally understood Yan Maoqing's intentions. He immediately smiled knowingly, saluted, and agreed.

"Order!"

Why be afraid to act rashly for fear of breaking the law?
What do you mean by being greedy for life and afraid of death?

This is another one of General Yan's tricks! I'm afraid I've never encountered such a long trick in my life!
If Anda had believed this explanation and thought that General Yan would no longer bombard the city tower, and had actually climbed the tower to observe the battle, he would have been in for a serious fight.

I just don't know about General Yan's nephew...

Alas, a family full of loyal martyrs!
Anda's attempt to use Yan Shifan to blackmail General Yan was clearly a mistake.

General Yan is driven by righteousness, and like any general, his son is no coward. Presumably, Yan Shifan is no weakling either; even standing face-to-face, he would surely shout with heroic courage:

"For the Ming Dynasty, fire on me!"

"nephew?"

Upon hearing the messenger's report, Altan Khan, who had already descended from the city wall but had not yet ordered his confidants to set the corpses of the leaders ablaze, frowned and glanced in surprise at Yan Shifan, whose face was now contorted with pain.
"Are you really Yan Maoqing's nephew?"

Yan Shifan was truly convinced!
He simply couldn't understand why Yan Maoqing would tell Anda about such a fatal relationship.

Before this, he had been trying his best to avoid exposing the matter, even going so far as to tarnish his own image to reduce his own importance, so as not to arouse Anda's interest in using him and make his situation even more dangerous.

He even had to wonder whether Yan Maoqing hadn't expected him to hide this relationship, or whether he had deliberately let it slip by accident...

"No, he's so young, and I'm so young, how could I possibly be..."

Yan Shifan now only wants to offer a vicious excuse.

"Since you're so quick to deny it, it must be true. You can't fool me!"

Seeing Yan Shifan's vehement denial, Anda became even more certain.
“We Tatars also have a system of seniority, which has nothing to do with age. You are not as honest as Yan Maoqing!”

really?!
Yan Shifan felt that Anda seemed to have some misunderstanding about Yan Maoqing, when in fact he was more honest than Yan Maoqing.

But upon further reflection, when he was in the royal court tent, hadn't he been trying his best to ensure that Yan Maoqing kept his promise and was willing to do anything to ensure the smooth progress of the tribute mission?
Moreover, Yan Maoqing's message to Anda, relayed by a Tatar messenger, did indeed sound incredibly "real".

Even now, seeing that Anda had lost an eye to Yan Maoqing, he didn't seem to harbor any hatred towards him and wanted to tear him to pieces. Instead, he still harbored the desire to bring Anda under his command.

Talk about it.

There had indeed been no shelling for a while...

Although the breech-loading cannon takes longer to reload than the self-propelled flintlock gun, it shouldn't be this slow. So, is it really a case of being afraid to fire and stopping the shelling?
So, my uncle still cares about me after all?

"But you can rest assured. You dare to come to see me alone during the war, which makes you a brave warrior. As long as Yan Maoqing surrenders to me, I will not harm your life."

Anda continued,

"Now all that remains is for my warriors to surround Yan Maoqing on all sides, and he will be trapped like a turtle in a jar. I hope he will keep his promise and lead his army to surrender as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Anda turned and walked back up the city wall.

He wanted to see with his own eyes how Yan Maoqing's powerful army was besieged by his cavalry and how they were forced to lower their heads and surrender to him... even if he only had one eye left.

Such a powerful enemy, one that brought him unprecedented pressure, deserved this treatment.

"!!!"

As Yan Shifan watched Anda's retreating figure, he suddenly realized something, a chill ran up his spine, and he involuntarily shivered.

Someone as cunning as Yan Maoqing wouldn't...

And the reason he revealed the uncle-nephew relationship might also be...

"Anda Khan, I...I need to pee!"

Seeing that the guards were about to follow him and take him up to the city wall, Yan Shifan panicked and quickly shouted.

"Didn't you already pee?"

Anda glanced back at Yan Shifan's still-wet crotch and said disdainfully,

"Let him pee on his pants then. He's already peed on them, how much more filthy can he get? Bring him up here. I want him to see Yan Maoqing in dire straits with his own eyes!"

After saying that, Anda ignored him and climbed the city wall step by step.

"I……"

No one knows what kind of struggle Yan Shifan was going through at that moment.

He really wanted to say what he realized and remind Anda not to climb the city wall again, so that he wouldn't have to go up there himself.

But if that's the case, and Yan Maoqing really does have this treacherous plan, then he will undoubtedly have helped Anda escape a calamity, which would be a betrayal of the Ming Dynasty, a betrayal of Yan Maoqing, and a betrayal of the brothers of the Heroes' Camp.

He didn't know why he was struggling so painfully with this matter.

In the past, he would have chosen to betray without hesitation to ensure his own safety.

But this time, he found it so difficult to make a decision... just as he didn't understand why he had volunteered to go alone into the Tatar royal court.

"go!"

The guard behind him gave him a push.

He moved his feet listlessly, as if each foot weighed a ton, yet he still reluctantly lifted his foot and stepped onto the first step.

Anda had already logged on ahead of time. He turned around and frowned at him, a hint of threat flashing in his remaining eye.

The bloodstains on the precious sword at his waist were still wet.

Although the corpses of the Tatar leaders on the city wall no longer gushed blood, they were still slowly bleeding.

"hurry up!"

Yan Shifan was given another push.

He was then forced to step onto the second step.

His hesitation seemed to have aroused Anda's doubt, and a hint of suspicion appeared clearly in his eyes.

"No, we can't let things be ruined because of me alone. This is a matter of national importance. If Anda finds out about this, Yan Maoqing will definitely not let me off the hook, and he will certainly not let the Yan family off the hook either!"

Yan Shifan clenched his fists tightly, feeling an indescribable fear in his heart, but he inexplicably tried his best to remain calm and took the initiative to step onto the third step.

Level 4!
Level 5...

next moment.

"boom!"

A loud bang suddenly exploded on the city wall, the steps beneath their feet instantly deformed, and Yan Shifan's obese body was immediately thrown down.

That moment.

He saw that Anda still had a puzzled look on his face, and that puzzlement was turning into doubt at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Because of the struggle he had just shown in the face of life and death, Anda finally realized something.

But in the end, Anda was too late!
He just watched as Anda's tall body, covered in blood, instantly turned into fragments along with the already crumbling city wall, without even uttering a muffled groan!

(End of this chapter)